‘I just checked the perimeter. Saw a couple homeless gals asleep behind that dumpster back there, but that’s it. No sign of anyone else. He must’ve been spooked when he saw our cars.’

‘Thanks. I’m going to head inside and talk to the receptionist.’ She dialed Lorna back. ‘This is Detective Wyatt. Can you unlock the door for me?’

‘Is he out there? What if he sees me and figures out I’m the one who called the police?’

Angry not only at the fact that the mystery man had slipped through her fingers, but that the surveillance Hammond had approved was nowhere to be found, Alyssa wanted to snap that the young woman couldn’t hide in the office forever. But not only was it not her fault, she’d called Alyssa immediately when she spotted someone suspicious. She’d done exactly as Alyssa had asked, even though she’d clearly been frightened already. It wasn’t Lorna’s fault someone on the police force had failed in his or her job.

‘You’ll be okay. I’ll make sure a couple of officers stay behind until you’re off your shift, okay?’ Even as she said it, Alyssa vowed that someone’s head was going to roll for this blunder.

A minute later, the same terrified look on her face as the one she’d worn the day she’d shown up at the precinct, Lorna unlocked the door and stepped back for Alyssa to join her. Scurrying back behind the counter as if it provided more safety, the woman retrieved the phone she’d set down, tapped a few buttons, and handed it to Alyssa.

It was the photo she’d snapped. The image wasn’t as dark as Alyssa had suspected it would be, but it was grainy because Lorna had zoomed in and taken it from a distance. Still, there was enough detail there to show that the man, dressed in gym shorts, was probably thirty-something. Something about him seemed familiar, and it took a second for her to figure out what it was.

The man in the photograph shared the same height and physique as the one who’d removed Meghan Jessup from the trunk of a sporty 2017 Dodge Viper and tossed her body in an abandoned restaurant. She was getting a better look at Steve Yarmini, and he’d slipped through her fingers for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.

‘Detective?’ A man’s voice came up from behind her, and Alyssa turned to see a plainclothes officer she’d seen around the precinct from time to time. Though she couldn’t recall his name, she knew immediately who he was.

Bullets were slower than the anger that erupted from her. Through clenched teeth, she said, ‘Weren’t you supposed to be surveilling this hotel?’

The smile fell from the officer’s face. ‘Yes, ma’am. But I had to use the restroom, and since nothing was going on…’

‘The nothing that was going on,’ she exploded, ‘was that the man we believe is responsible for dumping and possibly murdering a fourteen-year-old girl was not only here, in this parking lot, but doing his best at attempting to break into one of the rooms, not to mention trying to get into the front office. No thanks to you, I was able to convince the receptionist to lock the door and secure herself in the office. And now our suspect is gone. And do you know why he’s gone?’ Each word brought her closer to the officer who somehow managed to stand his ground without backing up. Her finger jabbed at his chest, coming close but not quite making physical contact. ‘He’s gone because you weren’t doing your job!